Far right has second chance in Austrian presidential election

[inanna]

Source: Reuters

Sat Dec 3, 2016 | 6:34pm EST

Austria will provide a new gauge of the populist wave sweeping Western democracies on Sunday, as the divided country holds a vote that could deliver the first freely-elected far-right head of state in Europe since World War Two.

The knife-edge presidential run-off is all the more dramatic for being a re-run of an election held six months ago - before Britain chose to leave the European Union and Americans elected Donald Trump as president - offering an indication of whether popular anger at the political establishment has grown.

<<snip>>

What influence Trump and Brexit have had on Austria is unclear, but the fault lines are similar - blue-collar workers have largely backed Hofer, the highly educated favor his opponent, former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen.

Van der Bellen, 72, has put Brexit at the heart of his campaign, arguing that Hofer wants Austria to hold its own "Oexit" referendum, putting jobs at risk in the small, trade-dependent country.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-election-idUSKBN13S0W0?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

[Spitfire of ATJ]

1. Look how the media is now labeling Right Wing "Populist".

[Initech]

2. Hitler was 70 years ahead of his time.

[Wabbajack_]

3. Ugh

Why did they order a re-vote anyway?

[inanna]

4. "Widespread voter fraud" according to this report:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/739332/Norbert-Hofer-Far-right-wing-Austria-politics-President-election-Green-Bellen

[blm]

5. Putin will win again as more people are beginning to really fear the extent of his influence now

that he conquered the only power standing in his way - The US.

Their knees are bending already. Thank a Republican.